Unplanned

Epilogue

One year later
~
Sherlock was in the lab. He was examining some strange rocks. These had been found covering the victim in Sherlock's case, but no one knew what they were. The door opened and Molly entered.

"Found anything new?" She asked cheerily. Sherlock didn't move.

"No." He muttered. "Can you ask John why he's not answering me?"

Sherlock saw Molly smile out of the corner of his eye.

"John went to get some lunch. He'll be back soon." Just as she said it John came into the lab with a sandwich.

"Sherlock." He said. He came and leant against the bench next to Sherlock.

"Don't lean on the bench." Sherlock muttered. John rolled his eyes and stood up straight.

"Anyway," John said. "Mycroft wants o see you. He says it's important."

Sherlock frowned.

"Why didn't he just call me?"

"Well he was going to but you left your phone at home and he bumped into me on the way to see you so he just told me tell you to come see him." Said John in one long sentence.

Sherlock looked sideways at him.

John was tapping his fingers on the bench his breaths were unsteady.

"Why are you nervous?" Asked Sherlock.

"Well Mycroft seemed sort of...he just didn't look very happy."

Sherlock shrugged. "Is he ever happy? Well I'll go see what he wants anyway." Sherlock said. He walked towards the door and opened it. He turned around and looked at John.

"Coming?"

John blinked.

"If you want me to."

"Of course." He said and walked out the door with John following behind.

Sherlock walked into the apartment where Mycroft had arranged to meet him. Mycroft looked up at Sherlock when he entered.

He smiled sarcastically at Sherlock.
"Hello brother dear. How good to see you."

"Shut up Mycroft." Sherlock said and sat opisite him in John's chair. John had to stay standing. He leant against Sherlock's desk.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Said Sherlock.

Mycroft cleared his throat and sat up.
(Oh, he thought he was so important.)
"It's about Moriarty."

Any trace of sarcasim left Sherlock's face.

"What about him?"

Mycroft smiled grimly at his brother.

"He's escaped."

Sherlock raised his head. His mind began tick like there was clockwork inside his head.

"But why now? Why after a year, exactly a year?"

Mycroft frowned. "How do you know it's been exactly a year?"

Sherlock got up and walked to the window. He heard John clear his throat behind him.

"He's been- he's been counting."

Sherlock couldn't almost hear Mycroft raise his eyebrows behind him but Sherlock didn't care. His mind was too preoccupied.

"When did you realize he was gone?" John inquired.

"We didn't have to." By "we" Sherlock knew Mycroft meant Greg Lestrade and him. Sherlock was the only one who had realized there was anything going on between them.

"He left us a note. Bit unoriginal if you ask me. He's already used it."

Sherlock reached out and took the envelope. He opened it carefully and reached inside. On the paper inside were four words. Mycroft was right. It was unoriginal. But it didn't matter. It still drove fear into Sherlock's heart. And Moriarty knew that.

Did you miss me?
-JM X

Sherlock set the peice of paper on the table and sat down in his seat.

"Well thank you, Mycroft. You can go back to Gavin now. We'll tell you if we hear anything. Bye bye."

Mycroft looked at him for a while. Then he turned and left. Just as he was walking through the door, Sherlock heard him mutter "It's Greg."

That made Sherlock smirk.
John walked over and sat down.

"So, I guess we'll have to put that case you were doing aside for a bit."

Sherlock smiled. "I guess we will."

He looked at the smiley face on the wall and suddenly his heart leapt. With fear. With excitement.
With joy.

He grinned at John. "The game is on, John." He said. "And this time, I'm going to win."

"We." The doctor corrected.

"Right, yes. We're going to win."

"We're going to win the game."